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Can you tell us about yourself? 

Hello. My name is Melissa Hansen. I am a school counselor at Logan Fontanelle Middle school in Bellevue, Nebraska. I'm completing my fifth year at this school.

Why did you start a career in education?

Why did I start a career in education? I went into education because I love kids and I love helping them. Especially kids that need extra help. And that is why I became a counselor. 

If you could have any other job what would it be and why?

I would run a greenhouse. Another passion of mine is gardening and growing things. 

How are kids different than they were 30 years ago?

How are kids different now than 30 years ago? Obviously technology is huge. I was a kid over 30 years ago and, um, no cell phones, um, you know, we had a completely different lifestyle, more active, um, but we're able to do a lot more than we used to do before technology wise.

How is teaching different than it was 30 years ago?

How is teaching different now than 30 years ago? Again, there's the technology piece, which is a huge advantage. Of course, there are some drawbacks and always things to consider and sometimes old school's the best when it comes to teaching and kids are different. You know social media is a huge component of their life right now, which makes it kind of challenging for us at school sometimes.

What would you tell someone who wants to become a teacher?

What would you tell somebody right now that is thinking about becoming a teacher? Make sure you like kids even when they act like they don't like you. Yeah, I just have to make sure that you're ready to make a commitment. 

What would you change to help kids learn better?

What is one thing you would change to help kids learn better? Currently, I would say if we could provide more mental health support in schools, um, it would be beneficial and they would learn better. Um, it's getting better and we have more, um, but there's still a great need out there. Thank you.